Birthday Fireworks
by allyrwhitney
Summary: It's Cedric's birthday, and as usual everyone seems too busy to remember… because it's also New Year's Day. But maybe he'll get a surprise this  year.


_I don't own anything, not even fireworks._

Birthday Fireworks

It was the perfect day for the first day of the year in Enchancia. The sky was a clear blue. The snow glistened in the sun. In Dunwiddie, children ran around laughing and playing in the snow. In the castle, greetings of "Happy New Year!" were heard throughout the halls as the castle staff and royal family greeted each other. Every one was in a jovial mood. Well, almost everyone…

Cedric scowled down at the mixture in his cauldron as he stirred, a deep frown etched on his face. He had gone from Cedric the Great to Cedric the Grouch in just a few short hours. Today was not only New Year's Day, it was also his birthday. And no one had bothered wishing him a happy birthday. He had hoped that this year would be different from all the others. But, no. It was always the same. There was always a party to celebrate the New Year, but there was never a party for his birthday. No one ever bothered to remember his birthday, except his mother and Sofia, after the princess found out when it actually was. Last year it had been especially tense. Last year, the royal family, minus Sofia, had wanted almost nothing to do with him because of his actions in trying to take over the kingdom the previous year. But things had changed since last year. He had renewed his friendship with King Roland. Everything had been calm since the Vor incident. So, yes, he had hoped this birthday would be different.

…

He had woken up that morning with a smile on his face. He was sure it was going to be a good day. He got out of bed and dressed quickly, making sure to comb his hair. He was barely in his workshop when there was a knock on the door and Baileywick entered.

"Ah, good morning, Baileywick," Cedric greeted him with a wide smile.

The steward eyed the unusually cheerful sorcerer and said in his usual brisk tone, "Cedric, King Roland wishes to see you."

As Cedric followed the older man from the tower, he couldn't help the gigantic smile on his face. Maybe the king wanted to invite him to breakfast. Perhaps there would be goldenberry pancakes…

Roland was sitting in his throne going over a list. He glanced up as the steward and sorcerer entered the room.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Cedric said cheerfully as he bowed. "You summoned me."

Roland raised a brow. "Someone is cheerful today."

"Of course, King Roland." The sorcerer grinned. "You know what today is?"

The king grinned back. "I'm glad you brought it up, Cedric." He stood, walked down the steps, and handed the list to his surprised friend. "These are things I need you to do for tonight's party."

Cedric's face fell. "Tonight's… party?"

"Yes, Cedric. It's New Year's Day after all."

The Royal Sorcerer sighed in disappointment. "As you wish, sire." He turned and left the throne room, reading the list as he walked. The king wanted fireworks. Cedric grimaced. Why did they need fireworks again? He just put on a spectacular display last night… The ballroom needed a few more decorations. He decided to head in that direction… Amber had requested a potion to make the punch sparkle. Why in the world did the punch need to sparkle? He was so distracted with the list that he wasn't watching where he was going, and he bumped into someone.

"Oof," Amber yelped as she felt someone bump into her from behind. She spun around and glared at the sorcerer, putting her hands on her hips. "Cedric! Watch where you're going!"

"My apologies, Princess Amber." He offered her a small smile as he bent down to pick up his list, which he had dropped upon impact.

Amber smirked as she brushed off her maroon and gold gown. "Are you going to the ballroom?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh, good. I have some ideas for decorations." She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the ballroom.

About an hour later, Cedric finally managed to get away from the ballroom. He sighed in exhaustion as he trudged down a hallway toward his tower. Amber, being Amber, still believed bigger was better, so of course her ideas had been huge. This hadn't really surprised the sorcerer. What had surprised him was that instead of the colors she would usually have chosen, she had decided on a dark purple and green color scheme. This was rather odd to Cedric, but he didn't have time to ponder on it. He had a list of things to do before the party that night.

"_At least Mummy will be here for tea this afternoon,_" he thought to himself when he reached the top of the tower steps. He retrieved the key from the gargoyle foot and unlocked the door to his workshop.

He had just started gathering ingredients for the first potion he needed to make when a ball of light flew out of the portrait of his parents. Within seconds, his mother was standing next to him.

"Mummy," Cedric smiled happily. "You're here early."

Winifred reached out and hugged her son. "I can't stay long, Ceddykins. I just came to tell you that your father and I have a party to go to today."

He frowned, crestfallen. "But… but don't you remember what day it is?"

"Of course I do, darling. It's New Year's Day." She giggled as she pulled his face down to give him a kiss. "I'll see you later." She winked, and then she was gone just as quickly as she had arrived.

…

So here he was, about two hours after his mother's unexpectedly short visit, stirring the potion that would make the punch sparkle and wishing he had been born on any other day but a holiday. Baileywick had come by several times to check on his progress. He hadn't seen Sofia all morning, but he was pretty sure she had forgotten his birthday like everyone else seemed to have done. This thought made him frown even more. She wouldn't forget his birthday, would she? It just didn't seem like something Sofia would do.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't register the knock on his door until it came a second time. He glared at the door irritably. It was probably Baileywick coming to check on him again.

He marched over to the wooden barrier and yanked it open. "What?" he snapped before realizing who was standing there. In front of him stood the very princess he had just been thinking about. Sofia was dressed in a dark blue velvet gown that brought out the blue in her eyes. Her skirt parted down the center to reveal a light blue underskirt. The gown was decorated with snowflakes scattered throughout the material. Her hair was up in an elegant bun, and she was wearing a tiara with sparkling blue stones. Cedric thought she looked lovely. The fleeting thought crossed his mind that Sofia was twelve, yet she looked like she was sixteen. He shook his head as he caught himself staring and tried to think of something to say. "Ah, Sofia… I–I'm sorry. I thought it was…"

The girl's bright smile hadn't even faltered. "Happy Birthday, Mr. Cedric!"

"It's 'Happy Birthday' not 'Happy New Year'?" Cedric couldn't help the sarcasm as he stood aside to let her in.

She just giggled. "Well, I _would_ have said 'Happy New Year', but I figured you've heard it enough." She stepped into the workshop and looked around. "Are you busy?"

"Yes, I am quite busy," he stated, moving back to his cauldron. "Your father gave me a list of things to do before that blasted party tonight."

"Oh," she sighed coyly. "Then I guess you won't want to have tea with me."

The sorcerer paused in his stirring. Tea with his best friend sounded good, and she seemed to be the only one in the castle who remembered his birthday, but… "I can't take a break, Sofia. I have all these things to do before the party." He showed her the list.

She took the parchment and laid it aside. "I wouldn't worry too much. Besides, it's your birthday. You deserve to relax."

"Well, first let me–"

"Mr. Cedric!"

"Oh, fine," he sighed, taking out his wand and casting a spell so that the wooden stick would keep stirring the potion. "But if I get in trouble, it's your fault."

"That won't happen," she assured him, taking his hand and pulling him toward the door. "Now come on. I have everything ready."

Sofia took Cedric to one of the parlors. A purple banner with the words "Happy Birthday, Mr. Cedric!" written in silver letters was hanging from the ceiling. A covered tray was set on a table between two chairs near the fireplace where a fire was burning. Cedric gaped at the banner. He was sure the letters had been silver a few seconds ago, and now they were gold. Seeing his astonished look, Sofia just giggled and pulled him to one of the chairs.

"Did you make that banner?" he asked, sitting down.

"Yep," she replied, taking her seat across from him. "Do you like it?"

"I do," he smiled. "But where did you learn that enchantment? I know I didn't teach it to you." He looked up at the banner again. The words were now turquoise.

The princess grinned. "I learned it in my Advanced Sorcery class at school."

"Very impressive," he chuckled. "You know, Sofia, you are a very talented sorceress. I wouldn't be surprised if your father made me retire early so you could be the next Royal Sorcerer."

She blushed and laughed. "That will never happen. I still have a lot to learn. And you're still the best Royal Sorcerer there is. I'm honored to be your apprentice."

Now it was his turn to blush lightly. "Sofia…"

She just smiled. "Let's have our tea." She reached forward and uncovered the tray. There was a teapot, two teacups, and a plate of fly cakes. "It's your favorite. Peppermint tea."

They talked about random things for half an hour. It was nice to just sit and enjoy each other's company, especially since school would be starting again in a few days.

Cedric sipped the last of his tea and set the cup down. "Thank you for the tea, my dear, but now I need to get back to work." He stood up.

"Wait a minute." She stood up too and reached behind her chair, pulling out a wrapped gift. "This is for you."

He smiled gently as he accepted the gift. He pulled off the paper and opened the box. He pulled out what appeared to be a gold trophy with the words "The Greatest Sorcerer in the World" etched on the front. Cedric stared at the gift in astonishment. He was stunned beyond words. He knew the princess thought very highly of him, but he had never expected to get an award like all the ones his father had.

"Do… Do you like it?" Sofia asked uncertainly as she watched him, taking his silence for a negative reaction. "I know it's not much. But I thought it was time you got an award for everything you do. You saved me from Prisma. You brought me back from my amulet. You saved me from that riptide last summer. You've helped me so many times ever since I became a princess. I just wanted to thank you."

Cedric seemed to snap out of his trance. He set the trophy down on the table and did something he rarely did. He knelt before her and held out his arms.

Sofia smiled brightly and stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he hugged her.

"You truly are the best friend I could have asked for," he whispered. "Thank you, Sofia. For everything."

The princess just smiled and leaned her head against his.

…

That evening, Cedric made his way to the ballroom. He had managed to get everything on the list done. Baileywick had come to the workshop not even twenty minutes ago, and he had taken the completed potions with him, saying he would give them to Sofia. This seemed a little odd to the sorcerer, but he knew Sofia would know what to do. Now all he would need to do were the fireworks.

As he neared the ballroom he started to frown. It was quiet. Too quiet. Usually if there was a party going on the noise could be heard from down the hall. But now he didn't hear a thing. His frown deepened. What was going on? Had something horrible happened while he had been in his workshop all afternoon? Was Sofia all right? He quickened his steps and threw open the ballroom doors, rushing right into the darkened room.

"SURPRISE!"

"MERLIN'S MUSHROOMS!" the poor sorcerer yelped, covering his chest with one hand attempting to steady his heart rate as confetti was shot into the air, thanks to James and a cannon. After taking a deep breath, he looked around at the people gathered in the ballroom. The royal family and his parents were there. So were Baileywick and some of the castle staff. A few villagers from Dunwiddie, including some of Sofia's friends, had come too. Looking around, he noticed that the banner he had hung earlier now read "Happy Birthday, Cedric!" instead of "Happy New Year!" as he had left it.

"Well, Cedric," Roland grinned. "Were you surprised?"

"Y–Yes, Your Majesty," he stuttered. "B–But what's going on?"

Roland laughed. "Did you really think we would forget your birthday?"

Cedric deadpanned. "Yes, I did. It's happened before. And you gave me a list of things to do for the party tonight."

"That list was merely a way to keep you busy," Miranda said kindly as her husband cleared his throat. "We just needed to get things set up without you knowing?"

"Yeah," James piped up. "We got a little worried when Amber told us she helped you decorate." He nudged his twin teasingly.

Amber rolled her eyes. "Oh, James." She smiled at the sorcerer. "It was really Sofia's idea."

Cedric looked toward his apprentice. "You're full of surprises today."

She blushed modestly and smiled. "There's one more." She gestured toward a darkened corner.

Out of the shadows stepped a familiar figure with a long white beard and a blue robe.

Cedric nearly fell over when his very idol came up to him and shook his hand vigorously. "M–Merlin's mushrooms…"

The famed wizard chuckled. "It's just Merlin, dear boy. I hear you have done some great things since the last time I saw you."

The younger sorcerer blushed profusely. He wondered if Merlin knew about his involvement with the Order of the Wand. He hoped not. He glanced at Sofia. She winked.

Merlin continued. "Mark my words, Cedric. One day you will have a great many fans. People will watch you on television, and there will be stories written about you…"

"Wait, what?" Cedric interrupted with a mystified look on his face. "Television?"

Merlin paused and laughed, "Oh, there I go again. Rambling about nothing. Just the way I did with young King Arthur." He winked and stepped away. Spreading his arms he addressed everyone in the ballroom. "Shall we get this party started? If you will step outside, I'll start the fireworks."

There were murmurs of excitement as everyone went out to the balcony. Cedric looked to his side when someone took his hand. Sofia smiled happily up at him. He returned the smile and squeezed her hand.

When everyone was outside, Merlin pointed his wand at the sky and muttered a complicated firework spell. Purple sparks flew into the night sky and exploded into an image of Cedric. This was followed by an image of a huge birthday cake. As the show continued, the sky was lit by many bright colors, and many more pictures were formed. Sofia stayed beside Cedric the whole time. At one point, she wrapped one arm around him, hugging him from the side. He smiled fondly and returned the gesture.

When it was time for the fireworks to end, Merlin sent one final spark flying into the sky. After a grand explosion of bright colors, the words "Happy Birthday, Cedric! And Happy New Year, Enchancia!" were written across the night sky. The crowd applauded before heading inside for cake and other treats.

Later that night, Cedric let himself back into his workshop. He was smiling happily. Today hadn't gone quite the way he had expected it to. It had been full of surprises, and there had been a party just for him with Merlin in attendance. His smile grew as his eyes landed on the trophy Sofia had given him. It was on his desk where he had left it, shining in the candlelight. He would have to find a special place for it, but right now…

He picked up the golden trophy and carried it to his bedroom and placed it on his nightstand while he dressed for bed.

That night, Cedric slept with a content smile on his face, dreaming of a young princess who always brightened up his day…

A/N: Happy New Year! Thanks for reading. I like the idea some people have that Cedric's birthday is on New Year's Day. It's just fitting. I hope you liked this story.


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